Posted on: Sunday, July 11, 2004
State helping Chinese 'go west'
By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer
CHENGDU, China — Out of a choppy sea of green hills in Sichuan province in southwestern China, a billboard depicting the back of a bald head, set in the middle of a road with yellow dashes speeding through it, urges citizens and businesses to wise up and "go west."
"If you're smart," says the slogan on the sign, "you will go west."
China's economic might is based on the east coast, but the central government has spent billions of dollars to ensure that businesses move west, into poorer, underdeveloped areas of the country. It is a mission in which Hawai'i is playing a role.
In an effort to help China's central government with this massive business development campaign, the state signed an agreement with the head of the Sichuan provincial government allowing representatives to come to Hawai'i and train under state officials.
The memorandum of understanding with the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism was signed June 8 by Zhang Xuezhong, the chairman of the Sichuan Provincial People's Congress, and Hawai'i Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona.
The agreement allows Chinese delegates from Sichuan to come to Hawai'i and enroll in educational seminars covering destination management, Internet technology, marketing, and hotel management.
Seminars will be at Hawai'i Pacific University, the University of Hawai'i's School of Travel and Industry Management and the UH College of Business Administration.
"There is no other concentration of expertise anywhere on the planet in terms of tourism than you have here running one of the most successful tourism industries in the world," said Richard Bahar, business development manager for DBEDT.
After training in Hawai'i, the Sichuan government officials will return to China and put their skills to work on the central government's "Go West" campaign, a multibillion-dollar initiative aimed at encouraging business development in rural, underdeveloped areas in western China.
The central government has allocated more than $10 billion to provinces across the country to build roads and other infrastructure and to create opportunities for businesses and services that were previously found mainly in and around Beijing and commercial centers such as Shanghai and Hong Kong.
"Some provinces are slow in terms of development," said
Bo Wu, executive director of DBEDT's China office. Wu said the central government "wants development everywhere, not just in (east) coastal areas" and is "very interested in upgrading officials' knowledge of tourism and upgrading tourism expertise."
Wu said that Sichuan, with a population of about 83 million, is a key area and that its strong economy makes it a gateway to western China.
In Zigong and along the newly renovated highway leading north to the provincial capital, Chengdu, the "Go West" billboards pop out of the scenic countryside at regular intervals.
Shu Wei, a Chengdu resident, said he thinks it would be better if western tourists and people from the east came to Sichuan. He said he would be eager to share what everyone in Sichuan already knows — that the area is hospitable to foreigners and Chinese visitors alike.
"It would be a great boost for the local economy," he said.
The agreement is not the first time the state and China have collaborated on tourism and business issues. Over the past four years, the state has signed memorandums of understanding with Hainan province, Guandong province, and the cities of Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai, DBEDT's Wu said.
About 200 Chinese officials travel to Hawai'i each year for seminars, Wu said. He said the central government pays between $8,000 and $10,000 for groups of 15 to 25 people to travel to Hawai'i and train.
Guandong province sends 10 officials to Hawai'i every year for three months of business training. The agreements with China not only aid Chinese officials, but are helping to pave the way for Approved Destination Site status for Hawai'i, a designation that Gov. Linda Lingle has pushed for because it means more money for the tourism industry.
As it stands, Chinese citizens cannot travel to Hawai'i for leisure purposes. The only Chinese nationals allowed to travel to the state are those with diplomatic, business or educational visas.
Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8110.
